Baptism of the Lord - the end of the Christmas Season
Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17: Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Meditation: Why did Jesus, the Sinless One, submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death upon the cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust and submission to God?The Father proclaimed his entire delight in his Son and spoke audibly for all to hear. The Holy Spirit, too, was present as he anointed Jesus for his ministry which began that day as he rose from the waters of the Jordan river. Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all who come to believe in him. At his baptism the heavens were opened and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, signifying the beginning of a new creation.
How can we enter into the mystery of Jesus’ humble self-abasement and baptism? Gregory of Nazianzus, a seventh century Church father tells us: “Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him." Do you want to see your life transformed in the love and power of Jesus Christ? And do you want to become a more effective instrument of the gospel? Examine Jesus’ humility and ask the Holy Spirit to forge this same attitude in your heart. As you do, heaven will open for you as well. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to renew us in his Spirit and to anoint us for mission. We are called to be “light” and “salt” to those around us. The Lord wants his love and truth to shine through us that others may see the goodness and truth of God’s message of salvation.
Refection question: Ask the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit that you may radiate the joy of the gospel to those around you.
Prayer: "Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with the joy of the gospel. May I find joy in seeking to please you just as you found joy in seeking to please your Father." Amen.
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Another Refection on todays feast
This Sunday is the feast of the baptism of Jesus. The Lucan account, which comprises the gospel reading for the day offers us two perspectives on Jesus. As John the Baptist sees things, Jesus, the mightier one who comes after him, primarily comes as a judge. The role of Jesus is to baptize with fire, to purge Israel as part of her renewal before God. John seems quite satisfied to be the herald for this coming judge, the one who will make John’s own penitential brand of water baptism seem gentle by comparison. We should not think that John was filled with resentment, eager to see people punished. Rather, John longed for this one who would baptize with fire because he longed for the renewal of Israel. This renewal would require the apocalyptic unveiling of God’s righteous judgment.
The second view of Jesus’ baptism comes directly from God as the heavens open, the Spirit descends and a voice from heaven proclaims, “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” From John’s perspective, this moment served to confirm his hope that Jesus was indeed the agent of God’s apocalyptic judgment. John was so committed to this view of Jesus, that when Jesus does not do the things John was expecting he sends messengers to question Jesus. He is clearly disappointed and confused by Jesus’ ministry.
The passage from Isaiah paired with today’s gospel offers us a much more accurate picture of the ministry on which Jesus embarks at his baptism. Isaiah offers us a vision of God’s relentless ingathering of the people of God. Rather than purifying through a purge as John anticipates, Isaiah presents God’s passionate pursuit of the people of God, “’Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you’; I will say to the North, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth– everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made’.”
When John sends his messengers question Jesus they find him doing precisely this type of gathering of the people of God. Jesus never directly answers John’s question about whether he really is the one who is to come. Instead, he points to what he is doing, “’Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them’.”(Luke 7:22 ESV).
Isaiah invites us to see Jesus’ baptism as the beginning of this ingathering of the people of God beginning with those directly in need of healing and restoration. As we follow this ministry on through Epiphany, Lent, and finally to the cross, when so much doubt is cast on Jesus and his ministry, we should also remember the voice from heaven confirming that God is well pleased. We hear that voice directly here at the baptism, and God decisively confirms this in the resurrection.
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| St. Scholastica, pray for us! |
January 12-The Baptism of Jesus Feast today connects us to who Jesus really is. We hear God the Father's voice saying "You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" and the Holy Spirit appears above Jesus in form of a dove. This reveals the connectedness of all three persons in God: the Blessed Trinity. The Baptism of Jesus also reminds us that we are to be alert to our own baptismal promises. Baptism is the sacrament of initiation and the first step of our spiritual journey on earth. Our Baptism though is not a one time event but a daily way of life. We are reminded today that we are not walking alone on our spiritual journey; we have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to keep us well on our way. We are the adopted sons and daughters of God and are special since as children of God, we belong to God's royal blood line.
